9th escaped New Orleans inmate captured, sheriff's office says, one last inmate still at large

CNN

11 hours ago

Antoine Massey, a serial escapee who vanished from a New Orleans jail with nine other inmates just after midnight on May 16, was arrested Friday afternoon in New Orleans, the Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office said.
The last remaining escapee, Derrick Groves, is still on the run after breaking out of the Orleans Justice Center in New Orleans over a month ago.
Massey was most recently charged with vehicle theft and domestic abuse involving strangulation, according to Orleans Parish records.
The 33-year-old was captured in a rental property in the Hollygrove neighborhood of New Orleans, according to Deputy US Marshal Brian Fair. He was arrested just miles from the jail where Massey and the other inmates made their brazen escape, taking advantage of bad locks, stolen bedding and a hungry jail employee, and using electric hair trimmers with multiple clipper blades to help cut their way through the cell walls.
Massey was taken into custody without incident after being surrounded on Friday afternoon, according to the US Marshals. It was 'peaceful,' Fair told CNN.
'After receiving a tip, follow-up work was done and lead directly to the arrest today,' Fair told CNN.
Massey has a long track record of escaping custody. In 2007, he broke out of a New Orleans juvenile detention center after being arrested on suspicion of armed robbery and aggravated assault, according to NOLA.com.
Early in June, authorities raided a home after a video showed a man claiming to be Massey saying he was innocent.
In the video, the man claiming to be Massey appealed to Lil Wayne for help and held a document to the camera – what he says is a stamped affidavit that proves his innocence. He claimed his ex-girlfriend, Diamond White, recanted her allegation of abuse in the affidavit.
White has not responded to CNN's earlier request for comment. She was arrested after allegedly helping Massey after his escape, Louisiana State Police announced May 26.
Convicted murderer still at large
Groves, the inmate still at large, was convicted in October of killing two people in 2018 and later pleaded guilty to battery of a corrections officer.
New Orleans Police Department Chief Anne Kirkpatrick addressed Groves directly at a Friday news conference.
'We are going to capture you,' she said. 'You will be taken into custody, but you still have the option to peacefully turn yourself in, and we will make an appeal to you to do so.'
'The public defender is ready to meet you and to be with you from the very moment you choose to turn yourself in,' she added.
Groves' case went to trial four separate times, the Orleans Parish District Attorney's Office detailed in a news release about the conviction.
He was determined to be one of two gunmen who opened fire with AK-47-style assault rifles 'on what should have been a joyous Mardi Gras family gathering,' according to the DA's office.
A woman believed to be Groves' current girlfriend, Darriana Burton, was arrested earlier in June for allegedly helping him escape. She had exchanged text messages and video calls with Groves in the days leading up to the escape, according to authorities.
There is a $50,000 reward for information leading to Groves' capture, offered by Crimestoppers Greater New Orleans, the FBI and other agencies.
'Just like we found Mr. Massey today, we will find Mr. Groves,' Chief Deputy US Marshal Walter Martin said at the Friday news conference. 'We'll continue our efforts.'
He encouraged anyone with information about Groves' whereabouts to alert authorities.
'You can remain anonymous, but we need your help,' Martin said. 'Collectively, we will not rest, even if it takes another six days or another six weeks until the last fugitive is in custody.'